When French robots Daft Punk, nee Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel Christo de Homem, were making the press rounds for their latest masterpiece, the luxuriously expansive Random Access Memories, they frequently cited Brian De Palma‘s “Phantom of the Paradise” as a chief influence: not only was ‘Phantom’ star/composer Paul Williams featured in the album’s centerpiece, “Touch,” but he provided lyrics for another song and served as a major for the band’s mysteriously helmeted look. So when a Pitchfork profile let casually slip that the band was talking to De Palma about doing something, it was cause for excitement. Sadly, it looks like it’s not happening after all.
De Palma A La Mod points out that, according to a Twitter conversation involving Nick De Semlyen, a reviews editor for British movie magazine Empire, and “The World’s End” director Edgar Wright (of course), De Palma “was going to direct a music vid for the Paul Williams track but it didn’t work out.” Of course the question begs to be asked – how did this not work out? The robots are clearly obsessed with his work and it’s not like De Palma has all that much going on these days. Everyone that works with Daft Punk seems to have their brand totally rejuvenated. And while a few European critics are hailing De Palma’s new film “Passion” (out here in August) as a new classic from the master of suspense, something tells us stateside critics won’t be as kind.
This should have happened… and could have been amazing… But, alas, it is not meant to be. Sad robots.
Ah bugger. This could've been a good thing…
Bummer, this almost seemed too good to be true. I feel like had this video happened it would have been a neat little psuedo-homage to De Palma's "Phantom" , some Paul Williams, some masks, some split screens, yadda, yadda, yadda.
How is this bad news? De Palma has marginal talent and has coasted off his superior friends Spielberg, Scorsese, and Lucas for the last 30 years or so. Look at any De Palma success and there's a true Hollywood icon standing behind him, showing him the way. Don't even try to bring up his middling work like Dressed to Kill, Body Double, and other dreck filled to the brim with misogyny. Revisionists and film school hipsters have cast him as a filmmaking saint, when really his only good film is The Untouchables. Even then it only worked because of the performances of Connery and Costner. I would guess Spielberg or Scorsese may have been able to step in and direct the thing while De Palma had a snooze.